Hello everyone! Welcome to today’s Bible study on Job 39 – God continues to challenge Job. According to Bible scholars, the events of the book of Job took place approximately before 2100 B.C.
I encourage you to turn to Job 39 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study Job 39 with me. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know. All the scriptures that you find highlighted in purple in this post are from the NKJV.
In the Bible Study on Job 38, we read about The Lord revealing His Omnipotence to Job. Well, in this Bible study on Job 39, we will read about God continuing to challenge Job.
Without any further delay, let us study together Job Chapter 39, shall we?
God Questions Job About Wild Mountain Goats And Deer
1 “Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young?
Or can you mark when the deer gives birth?
2 Can you number the months that they fulfill?
Or do you know the time when they bear young?
3 They bow down,
They bring forth their young,
They deliver their offspring.
4 Their young ones are healthy,
They grow strong with grain;
They depart and do not return to them.
In Verses 1-2 of Job 39, God questions Job if he knows the exact time when the wild mountain goats bear their young ones in their womb. Can Job mark the time when the deer gives birth, God questioned. Or, can Job decide the number of months that they (the deer) gestate? Does Job know the time when the deer bears its young? In Verse 3, the Lord explains how the deer bows down and brings forth its young and delivers its offspring. And the new-born young ones are healthy. They grow strong in the open field feeding on grain and grass and they depart from it and do not return again to that place.
God Questions Job About Wild Donkeys and Onagers
5 “Who set the wild donkey free?
Who loosed the bonds of the onager,
6 Whose home I have made the wilderness,
And the barren land his dwelling?
7 He scorns the tumult of the city;
He does not heed the shouts of the driver.
8 The range of the mountains is his pasture,
And he searches after every green thing.
In Verses 5-8 of Job 39, God questions Job on who set the wild donkey and the onager free. Was it Job? Obviously, no. It was God Himself. The Lord has made the wilderness and the barren land to be the home of the wild donkey and the onager. The wild donkey is not shaken by the tumult of the city. He does not listen to his taskmaster. His pasture is the range of the mountains and he searches after every green thing. The wild donkey unlike the normal donkey is untamable. They are so similar yet different in behaviour. The Lord questioned Job if he had the wisdom to create such animals so different in behaviour yet similar in appearance.
God Questions Job On The Stubborn Wild Ox
9 “Will the wild ox be willing to serve you?
Will he bed by your manger?
10 Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes?
Or will he plow the valleys behind you?
11 Will you trust him because his strength is great?
Or will you leave your labor to him?
12 Will you trust him to bring home your grain,
And gather it to your threshing floor?
In Verses 9-12 of Job 39, God questions Job’s authority on the wild ox. Will the wild ox be willing to serve Job and obey him? Will the wild oxes remain besides Job’s manger? Can Job bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes like he does with a normal ox or will he at Job’s command plow the valleys behind Job’s land for Job? Will Job trust the wild ox because his strength is great or will Job leave his labour to him? Will Job trust the wild ox to bring home his grain and gather it to Job’s threshing floor like he normally does with the oxen?
God, yet again, asked these questions to prove His power, might and wisdom with which He created each living being according to its type. Though many species of animals look similar they are all not the same. He in His infinite wisdom and pleasure has created them according to His heart’s desire.
God Questions Job About The Proud Ostrich
13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,
But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s?
14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground,
And warms them in the dust;
15 She forgets that a foot may crush them,
Or that a wild beast may break them.
16 She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers;
Her labor is in vain, without concern,
17 Because God deprived her of wisdom,
And did not endow her with understanding.
18 When she lifts herself on high,
She scorns the horse and its rider.
In Verses 13-18 of Job 39, God questions Job about the ostrich. The wings of the ostrich wave proudly. The ostrich is a very proud bird. They are not like the storks that are kind. The ostrich leaves her eggs on the ground and warms them in the dust. She forgets that a foot might crush her eggs or a wild beast may break them even before they are born. The ostrich is rash and she treats her young ones harshly as if they were not hers. She labours in vain when she gives birth and she has no concern for her offsprings. She does all this because God created her this way- proud and deprived of wisdom. He did not endow the ostrich with understanding. However, she is so swift in flight that she surpasses even the horse and the horseman and scorns at their speed in mockery.
God Questions Job About The Majestic Horse
19 “Have you given the horse strength?
Have you clothed his neck with thunder?
20 Can you frighten him like a locust?
His majestic snorting strikes terror.
21 He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
He gallops into the clash of arms.
22 He mocks at fear, and is not frightened;
Nor does he turn back from the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against him,
The glittering spear and javelin.
24 He devours the distance with fierceness and rage;
Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded.
25 At the blast of the trumpet he says, ‘Aha!’
He smells the battle from afar,
The thunder of captains and shouting.
In Verses 19-25 of Job 39, God questions Job on who gave the horse its strength? Did Job adorn the horse’s neck with thunder? Can Job frighten the horse as he frightens a locust. The horse’s majestic snorting strikes terror. He rejoices in his strength when he gallops across the valley straight into the clash of arms in battle. He mocks at fear and he is not frightened the least bit. The horse does not run away from the sword but charges towards it. He is surrounded by quiver and sharp glittering spears and javelin.
He devours the distance with his fast galloping, with fierceness and rage and with no ounce of fear in him. The horse does not halt because the (battle)trumpet has sounded. Instead, when the trumpet sounds he says ‘Aha’ and he is ready for battle. He smells the battle from afar and he hears the thundering voices of captains and the shouting of men, ready for battle. He was made for battle!
God Questions Job On Mighty Birds Of Prey
26 “Does the hawk fly by your wisdom,
And spread its wings toward the south?
27 Does the eagle mount up at your command,
And make its nest on high?
28 On the rock it dwells and resides,
On the crag of the rock and the stronghold.
29 From there it spies out the prey;
Its eyes observe from afar.
30 Its young ones suck up blood;
And where the slain are, there it is.”
In Verses 26-30 of Job 39, God questions Job if the hawk flies by Job’s wisdom? Does it spread its wings toward the south as the winter approaches according to Job’s design and wisdom? God asked Job if the eagle mounted up and made its nest on high at Job’s command? Who commanded the eagle to mount so high or make its nest so high? God, did. Does the eagle dwell and reside on the rock and its crags from where its spies out the prey even from afar, according to Job’s command? The young ones of the eagles suck up blood and they are found where the slain (in battle) are.
Why Did God Question Job About The Wild Animals And Birds
God spoke about the wild animals and wild birds of prey and questioned Job about it to reveal His omnipotence through His creation. These wild creatures are for the most part untamable. They obey Him and Him alone. Their behaviours and natures are different because God created them so. They are not a mere product of evolution as the people behind science want you to believe. When the Creator Himself says that He created each animal according to its kind, we ought to trust Him with no further questions.
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of the bible study lesson on Job 39. God reveals His omnipotence to Job again through His rhetoric questions about different types of wild animals and mighty birds of prey. I hope you learnt something from this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey.
If you have any comments or questions for me, kindly leave them in the comments box below. I highly appreciate it. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Until Next Time!